“The blood in the veins of Bangalore” is how the Berlin-based animator Xaver Xylophon likes to describe the city’s rickshaws. 450,000 of them make their way through the streets of Bangalore everyday and their drivers bravely do battle with the traffic just to take their passengers from A-B.

In 2011 Xylophon spent a month living in the city and the he produced a number of drawings while there. That work would go on to become the groundwork for this great short animation called For Hire!. The film shows a day in the life of a Bangalorean rickshaw driver and it’s an insight into both the daily life of the driver and also the life of the city. There’s a real simplicity in Xylophon’s animation and although it seems to be created digitally I love the painterly quality to his work. His story is a simple one, but it’s told so effectively and with such great restraint. I love it and I really recommended you check it out!